I wish we had had more time to enjoy Sarajevo. To be honest I don't even feel like crossing it off my 'list of cities visited' because spending 2 hours in the Old Town and sleeping in a hotel room overnight really doesn't warrant that right. Although we had an included walking tour it felt a little rushed and most of the group, including myself, seemed more interested in keeping dry and warm than listening to Dino, our local guide explain the history of his country. Its a shame really because I had read that Sarajevo had quite a lot to offer. Its amazing how rain seems to spoil the enjoyment of some things! I guess you could say that I was rather inconvenienced by it!

Sarajevo was once known as the heart broken, torn and demolished city but it has risen above its recent history to become a vibrant city and a unique one at that. Today it's often referred to as the 'Jerusalem of Europe' because of its religious diversity - it features an Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Mosque and Synagogue all within walking distance from each other. Not something you see in many countries! Although we did get to see a little from each quarter of Sarajevo - New Town, Old Town, the Centre and New Sarajevo, we spent the majority of our time in the Old Town, better known as Bascarsija or in English Terms, The Central Market. While the area was the centre of trade and commerce during the Ottoman's lengthy rule, nowadays its cobble stone alleyways are packed with locals, travellers and tour groups alike eating, shopping, drinking, soaking up the atmosphere or as was our case looking for a dry spot to take cover under! I don't quite know why but Sarajevo felt more like a big village than a city to me. It certainly had many contrasts to keep me occupied and intrigued - we saw 'the old versus the new', traditional versus modern as well as some rather interesting sights - the twisting Avaz Tower, the only Sebilj still standing, the eternal flame and the historic Latin Bridge. But what was even more amazing to see was just how tolerant this country really is towards many issues, regardless of what its people had been through. The world could certainly learn a thing or two from Sarajevo me thinks!

As was the case in Mostar, there has been much reconstruction and repairing done so that the physical scars of the war are now less visible, but anyone who drives past or walks through one of the three huge cemeteries will know that the emotional scars will remain for many years to come. The thousands of white tombstones a stark reminder of just how much has been lost. As we drove away from the city centre and merged into the local traffic I silently prayed that this country would never have to endure such heartbreak ever again.

Just as we had arrived, we departed Sarajevo with rain in tow. The mist over the hills created a mysterious aurora and I looked forward to what was in store for us in the coming days as we travelled on to the Plitvice Lakes and Zagreb. As awful as it sounds I was thankful to be leaving the worst of the war torn countries behind - reality really is a b**** sometimes! For most part of the journey back to Croatia we travelled on regional roads, allowing us to see the remoteness of the region. This part of Bosnia seemed slow paced and peaceful and I absolutely loved seeing the alpine countryside, the snow residing on the mountain tops, the pretty manicured houses, the serene lakes and the medieval castles encountered along the way. Even lunch was traditional Bosnian cuisine - Cevapi, small meat sausages of lamb and beef mix served with fresh onions and pita bread on the side. Delicious and well worth the calories!

Ok so the Plitvice Lakes were something else and to make them even more amazing was the fact that the rain stopped just as we entered the National Park! There is a God after all! After seeing so many photos and hearing about the waterfalls I was rather excited about being in the park. The beauty of the park lies within its sixteen lakes which are inter-connected by a series of waterfalls over a distance of eight kilometres. The National Park itself covers a total area of 300 square kilometres so to say that we scratched part of the surface would be an understatement. What was interesting to note was the altitude of the park which differs considerably - the highest point recorded is at 1280m while the lowest is at 380m, although the total height difference between the lakes themselves is only 135m. They say you learn something new every day! It was absolutely serene walking through the breathtaking scenery and a welcomed break from being on the coach. This was certainly one of those places you could come to, to gather your thoughts and I was in my prime with all the gorgeous nature that surrounded me - beautiful lakes, wooded hills, waterfalls, cascades, moss covered trees and old caves. Yes, certainly a lot of memory was consumed on my camera today! We were very fortunate to walk along the lower tracks which I enjoyed immensely. While the park is known to be home to many deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species we did not encounter any along the way - I don't quite know whether to be thankful about that or disappointed however we did get to see the thousands of Travertine so I guess that counts for something! A brief stop was made at the Coffee Shop before boarding a boat across the lake, where on arrival we were surprised with the news of the pleasure of having to climb up the odd 280 stairs to our hotel...did I mention how much I love stairs?? Seriously though having witnessed the park I can totally appreciate now why it's Croatia's most popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Definitely a highlight for me!

The drive from the Plitvice Lakes to Zagreb was via winding roads and through some scenic villages such as that of Rastorke which is well known for its 200 - 300 year old architecture. I only caught a glimpse of some of the houses still in existence from the coach, but from what I saw it did look rather impressive. Although we only had a few hours to spend in Zagreb, it was time worth spent and I thoroughly enjoyed the many streets, fashionable boutiques and sober Austro-Hungarian architecture we encountered on our exploration of the city. We took photos of St Mark's Church whose roof looked as if it was made of Lego, admired the Parliament Buildings where independence was proclaimed in 1918 and walked past the Museum of Broken Relationships! Apparently the museum is made up of objects and stories of relationships which have gone wrong. They even have a souvenir shop - what one would find in there is beyond me! I should have gone in for a sticky beak! We even got to eat what the locals described as the best tasting ice-cream in Croatia - Oh my God were they spot on. Lucy and I had a lot of trouble deciding what flavours to get- see the stresses I have to put up with on this holiday!! The authentic markets, the Dolac were also a treat. Like most of the markets we have had the pleasure of visiting to date, they were abuzz with locals yelling, laughing and selling every seasonal fruit and vegetable possibly imaginable. It was certainly an explosion of colour, sounds and smells. We helped out the local economy and farmers by purchasing some of the irresistible sweet smelling strawberries. Our dessert for this evening!

As we wandered around Zagreb I noticed that the thousand herds of cyclists encountered in Ljubljana did not exist here; instead you had to keep a mindful eye on the blue trams which seemed to be the preferred transportation method. We watched the locals zip across their paths many a time and when all else failed in crossing the streets Lucy and I did the same. Thank God we made it to tell the tale! Zagreb offered a mixture of all things - medieval historical monuments, museums, art galleries, trendy stores, plentiful restaurants & cafes and friendly locals. I read somewhere that if one was to do a proper pub crawl in Zagreb it could take weeks to complete because of the large quantity of venues to choose from; lucky for me I don't drink otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to leave! I wish we could have stayed longer because getting back on the coach only meant one thing - we were heading back to Ljubljana were our tour would come to an end!